The Apple-1 Registry

Website(s)

Breker auction

Description

Fred Hatfield of Computer Data Systems in Columbus, Ohio, is the first known owner; Hatfield is therefore the preferred name for this Apple-1.
Hatfield complained to Apple about the limited availability of software. In a letter dated January 18, 1978, and signed by Steve Jobs, Apple offered him an Apple II in exchange for his Apple-1 and an additional US$400. The original letter accompanies the computer.
Hatfield added an interface for an IBM Selectric printer. It was removed before the 2013 auction.
The motherboard was function-tested in 2013 and reported to be fully operational. According to the current owner, it has not been opened, modified, or operated since then.

History

The first known owner was Fred Hatfield of Computer Data Systems in Columbus, Ohio. He was not the former Major League Baseball player of the same name. The 2013 auction publicity also incorrectly described him as a former football player. Hatfield subsequently provided evidence identifying the auctioned computer as his Apple-1.
Before the 2013 auction, the Apple-1 was owned by Texas-based collector Cameron Cooper, who also owned #37. A reported sale from Hatfield to Cooper in the fall of 2012 for US$40,000 has not yet been independently verified.
Auctioned as lot 14 by Auction Team Breker on May 25, 2013, for €516,400 (about US$666,150). It has remained in the same private collection in Belgium since the auction.

Auctions

May 2013
(see History for more information)

Components

White ceramic CPU, plastic PIA, 8 KB plastic DRAM. 3 small yellow, 2 small blue, and 3 large blue capacitors.

Equipment

Original Apple Cassette Interface, two cassettes, original Apple-1 Operation Manual, Preliminary Apple BASIC Users Manual, and the original letter from Apple Computer to Fred Hatfield, dated January 18, 1978, and signed by Steve Jobs.

State

An interface for an IBM Selectric printer had been added, using wires on the reverse of the board, components in the breadboard area, and several connectors. The printer interface was removed before the 2013 auction.

Video

Breker auction


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Last update

Jul 14, 2026

Change log (since March 20, 2018)

Jun 23, 2019: State
Apr 08, 2021: Name. Description. History
Apr 08, 2021: Verification status
Nov 16, 2021: Working condition
Jul 28, 2025: Components. State. History
Jan 07, 2026: Description
Jun 16, 2026: Description of picture(s)/video(s)
Jun 16, 2026: Name. Auctions
Jun 16, 2026: State
Jun 16, 2026: Website(s) added
Jun 16, 2026: Verification status. Video link(s) added
Jun 16, 2026: History
Jun 16, 2026: Description. History
Jun 17, 2026: 3 picture(s) added
Jun 17, 2026: Description of picture(s)/video(s)
Jun 17, 2026: Name
Jun 19, 2026: Auctions
Jun 19, 2026: State
Jul 06, 2026: Location. History
Jul 06, 2026: Description of picture(s)/video(s)
Jul 08, 2026: History
Jul 08, 2026: Description of picture(s)/video(s)
Jul 12, 2026: Auctions. State. History
Jul 12, 2026: Description of picture(s)/video(s)
Jul 12, 2026: 1 picture(s) added
Jul 12, 2026: Components. Equipment
Jul 14, 2026: 9 picture(s) added
Jul 14, 2026: 1 picture(s) deleted

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